Chapter 809:

Geraldine took Elyse’s spot beside Fiona, casting a cold glance at Fiona. Feeling Geraldine’s intimidating presence, Fiona immediately clammed up, too scared to throw any more insults. Noticing Fiona’s sudden silence, Geraldine crossed her arms, leaned close to Elyse, and whispered, “Fiona only has the guts to pick on you because you’re an easy target. Around me, she wouldn’t dare make a sound.” Elyse glanced at Fiona and whispered back, “She can’t push me around anyway.” Geraldine rolled her eyes silently. She thought Elyse must have a very loose definition of “pushing around.”

The host continued with the announcements: “Fourth place, Geraldine Lawson. Third place, Edward McCoy. Second place, Elyse Lloyd. And in first place, Darren Reynolds.” Elyse was taken aback by the rankings. She quickly leaned forward to catch a glimpse of Darren. Darren, meanwhile, was utterly stunned, his mouth slightly open, and his eyes wide with disbelief. Standing beside Darren, Vicky noticed his dazed expression. Unable to resist, she nudged him and whispered, “Hey, stop standing there like a statue. Go forward and take your bow.” Darren snapped back to reality, stumbled forward, bowed awkwardly, and returned with a dazed look on his face. Elyse, seeing Darren’s shock, knew he was utterly floored by the outcome.

But at that moment, Elyse was most eager to confront Edward. She gave him a playful smirk and said, “So, how did the top dog slip to third place? Is it because first place isn’t your thing anymore?” Edward rubbed his nose and stubbornly replied, “I can explain, but I’m not spilling the details.” Elyse chuckled. “No need for excuses. I get it. A little too much swagger, and this is what you get. But I have to remind you, the next competition is the last round. No more slip-ups.” Edward glanced at Elyse’s teasing grin and raised his hands in mock surrender. “Alright, alright, I hear you. You’re always right, after all.”

After the competition ended, emotions ran high among the eliminated contestants. Some were in tears, others couldn’t accept the outcome, but Vicky remained unfazed. Losing didn’t seem as dreadful to her as it did to the others. Elyse approached her, concern etched on her face. “You came in sixth, just 0.1 points shy of fifth place. Such a close call.” Vicky nodded. “Yeah, if it weren’t for that tiny 0.1-point difference, I might’ve tied for fifth and made it to the last round. Or maybe I would’ve faced Darren head-to-head for the win.” She paused, reflecting. “It’s a pity, just 0.1 points.” Noticing the flicker of disappointment in Vicky’s eyes, Elyse struggled to find the right words to console her. But Vicky, seeing Elyse’s concern, gave a light shrug. “Hey, don’t worry about me. I knew the competition would be cutthroat, so I was ready for whatever happened, even losing.”